After a particularly rainy Hilary Term, which saw BCBC almost entirely landlocked, our summer rowing got off to a beautiful start as 26 students headed off to Monmouth for a week of training over the Easter Vac. We were blessed with excellent weather and a warm welcome from Monmouth RC. It was a fantastic opportunity for all our members, both novices and experienced rowers, to brush up on technique after a long term on the erg. It was also excellent practice for our men who took to the tideway over the Easter vac at HoRR, in a crew made up of both Balliol veterans and newcomers. Balliol was also very well represented at this year’s Boat Races, with three rowers in Osiris, two in the LWT Men and one in both the LWT Women and the Women’s Spare 4+.
The return of rowing on the Isis was heralded by both our men and women’s first boats racing in City Bumps, part of the club’s ongoing return to external regattas. Although the men went -1, they defended their position valiantly, rowing over six times, after ending up as sandwich boat. The women went +3 over the day to take headship off CORC, and were rewarded with miniature blades for their efforts.
A term of training culminated in Summer Eights, where we fielded three boats on both sides. The existence of a W3 for the first time since 2017 is a particularly exciting development for the women’s side of the club! Although sadly neither of our third boats qualified, the rest of BCBC rowed excellently over the course of the week. W2 fought a particularly difficult campaign, ending up as Div IV/V sandwich boat but fighting off strong crews from below to bump back up into Division IV on Saturday. M2 faced similarly tough opposition, and despite daring getaways on Wednesday and Thursday, were bumped on the final two days. Although our first boats did not race on Wednesday, both went +2 over the next two days. For the women, this marked another step in the fight for headship and for the men, the first bumps since 2023. Both of M1’s bumps proved precise enough to split the bow-ball of the new men’s first eight, which was christened Impulse on the Saturday of Eights.
Alumni joined us at the Eights formal for the first time in many years, and current students were treated to stories of the club’s past, and to past numbers from the club’s fine musical tradition. It was a truly special evening and one we hope will be repeated in years to come! In June we also welcomed members of the Goudouli Club back for the usual rowing and dinner, but this year we were also lucky enough visit to Balliol’s Archives to see the club’s remarkable history. This marked the end of a fun and competitive season at BCBC, although we continued to see representation at the university level at Henley Women’s Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta, as part of both the development and senior OUBC squads.
Race Results: Summer Eights
| W1 | ➡️ | ↗ | ↗ | ➡️ |
| Bumped Wolfson and Wadham. Finished 3rd in Division I. | ||||
| M1 | ➡️ | ↗ | ↗ | ➡️ |
| Bumped Trinity and Magdalen. Finished 8th in Division I. | ||||
| M2 | ➡️ | ➡️ | ↘ | ↘ |
| Bumped by Wadham II and Brasenose IIs. Finished 6th in Division IV. | ||||
| W2 | ↘ | ↘ | ➡️ | ↗ |
| Bumped by St Hilda’s II and University III, bumped Exeter II. Finished 12th in Division V. | ||||
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